Quadratic isoperimetric inequality for mapping tori of polynomially growing automorphisms of free groups (Q1590004)

From MaRDI portal
scientific article
Language Label Description Also known as
English
Quadratic isoperimetric inequality for mapping tori of polynomially growing automorphisms of free groups
scientific article

    Statements

    Quadratic isoperimetric inequality for mapping tori of polynomially growing automorphisms of free groups (English)
    0 references
    12 March 2001
    0 references
    Let \(X\) be a finite cell complex and \(\widetilde X\) its universal cover. Assigning to each edge of \(X\) a length of one induces a combinatorial metric on the one-skeleton on \(\widetilde X\) which may be extended to a metric \(d_{\widetilde X}\) on \(\widetilde X\). There is a similar notion of combinatorial area in \(X\). For an edge path \(c\subset X\) or \(c\subset\widetilde X\) denote by \(|c|\) the combinatorial length of \(c\). A function \(f\colon\mathbb{N}\to\mathbb{N}\) is an isoperimetric function for \(X\) if for all \(n\) and all closed edge paths \(c\subset\widetilde X\) with \(|c|\leq n\) there is a disk \(\Delta\colon D^2\to\widetilde X\) with combinatorial area \(\text{Area}(\Delta)\leq f(n)\). We say that \(X\) satisfies the quadratic isoperimetric inequality if it possesses a quadratic isoperimetric function. A group satisfies quadratic isoperimetric inequality if it is the fundamental group of a finite cell complex which satisfies quadratic isoperimetric inequality. The main result of this paper is that the semidirect product \(F_n\triangleleft_\varphi\mathbb{Z}\) (mapping torus) of a free group \(F_n\) of finite rank \(n\) by \(\mathbb{Z}\) via a polynomially growing automorphism \(\varphi\) of \(F_n\), satisfies the quadratic isoperimetric inequality. The method of proof is geometric and is based on work by \textit{M. Bestvina}, \textit{M. Feighn} and \textit{M. Handel} [The Tits alternative for \(\text{Out}(F_n)\). I, Ann. Math. (2) 151, No. 2, 517-623 (2000; Zbl 0984.20025) and II, preprint (1996)]. The author introduces the concept of a Kolchin map which enables her to use induction on the degree of the polynomial growth of the automorphism. So she proves that a linearly growing map \(f\colon G\to G\) satisfies the quadratic isoperimetric inequality. This is the induction step to prove that if \(f\colon G\to G\) is a Kolchin map that grows polynomially with degree \(d\), the mapping torus \(M_f=G\times I|_{(x,0)\sim(f(x),1)}\) satisfies the quadratic isoperimetric inequality. The main result then comes from this and a result contained in the above-mentioned papers of M. Bestvina, M. Feighn and M. Handel.
    0 references
    mapping tori
    0 references
    finite cell complexes
    0 references
    universal covers
    0 references
    isoperimetric functions
    0 references
    quadratic isoperimetric inequality
    0 references
    semidirect products
    0 references
    free groups
    0 references
    polynomially growing automorphisms
    0 references
    Kolchin maps
    0 references
    0 references

    Identifiers

    0 references
    0 references
    0 references
    0 references
    0 references
    0 references
    0 references